Paul Mescal was lying in a hotel bed in Australia, fresh out of quarantine, when he first read THE HISTORY OF SOUND. It was just before Christmas, and he’d been shooting Benjamin Millepied’s CARMEN when the script arrived. Alone and restless, he started reading, and before long he was crying. There’s a scene, he remembers, barely an eighth of a page, where the older version of Lionel eats tinned peaches straight from the can, and it destroyed him completely. He thought it was a perfect screenplay, and the fact that it was Ben Shattuck’s first made it all the more remarkable. He wanted the film made immediately, which makes him laugh now because what he learned, of course, is that films don’t get made overnight.
For audiences, Mescal’s shift from vengeful gladiator to gentle introspective folklorist might seem like a leap, but to him it was a straight line. He says it’s the longest he’s ever lived with a character, having read the script in 2020, and he’s never walked onto a set understanding someone as well as he understood Lionel. There was excitement in that and pressure too. GLADIATOR II was a totally different physical undertaking, he explains, laughing about how in the last two weeks of shooting he was on a treadmill for three hours a day trying to lose the frame he’d built, but in terms of where he feels most at home, characters like Lionel are definitely closer to him.
Mescal has become known for roles that allow him to express vulnerability, in AFTERSUN, NORMAL PEOPLE, and Chloé Zhao’s forthcoming HAMNET, but THE HISTORY OF SOUND may be the most space he’s been given yet for that quality. Over the last five years he’s been able to become increasingly selective, and his Academy Award nomination for AFTERSUN changed the practical realities of his career. Oscar nominations are great for getting films off the ground, he says, but he hasn’t really had time to reflect on how it’s changed him as a person. He’s more comfortable knowing himself as a performer, though he’d be wary of any actor claiming they know themselves better because of success. He finds out a lot about himself while playing a character, he says, and then forgets it immediately because you’re trying to figure out something else about somebody else’s psychology.
Central to the film is the music itself, a blend of traditional American folk styles, most now obscure except for songs like “Silver Dagger”. Mescal, O’Connor and Hermanus worked with singer-songwriter Sam Amidon, whose voice blends with theirs throughout the film, alongside performances by a range of folk artists whose songs the characters record on their travels. The act of David recording and Lionel transcribing is, Mescal says, almost like a romantic exchange.
Some ghosts don`t stay buried.
Cillian Murphy returns as Tommy Shelbyun THE IMMORTAL MAN - older, greyer, and facing the legacy he left behind.
His son runs the Blinders now. His past won`t let him rest. One choice will change everything. 👑💔
Cinemas March 6 • Netflix March 20
More at irishfilmtv.com.
✨ EXCLUSIVE: Eve Hewson is heading back to Dublin.
Joining forces with acclaimed director Lenny Abrahamson, the Irish actress is set to star in a stunning new period drama that transports us to 1970s Dublin—a city pulsing with cultural complexity and untold stories.
The film will explore the vibrant Jewish community of the era, with Hewson joined by acclaimed English actor Tom Burke and breakthrough talent Shane Meagher. A reunion of Abrahamson`s trusted collaborators (hello, NORMAL PEOPLE magic ✨), this ensemble promises something truly special.
More Eve at irishfilmtv.com.
MOBLAND Season Two is underway!
Irish actors @piersmorgan and @scandalous_13 are back and this season promises to be something else entirely!
Season One made history as one of Paramount+`s biggest ever debuts, and if the word coming out of production is anything to go by, they`re not here to play it safe.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Liam Neeson returns to theatres in COLD STORAGE - the kind of film that makes you laugh, makes your skin crawl, and then makes you laugh again!
A 1979 NASA cover-up. An alien fungus sealed in a government vault. And two underpaid warehouse workers who just became humanity`s last hope.
Sharp. Funny. Genuinely unsettling. More Liam at irishfilmtv.com.
Brendan Gleeson returns to THE WEIR as cameras roll in Ireland, bringing Conor McPherson`s haunting stage masterpiece to the screen.
Fresh off a five-star West End run that WhatsOnStage called "staggeringly good," the entire acclaimed cast is back to capture the magic of this modern Irish classic.
More Brendan at irishfilmtv.com.
When Emerald Fennell texted @alisonjoliver about joining WUTHERING HEIGHTS, the answer was immediate: yes.
"I just love her so much that I would do anything she was doing," Oliver says about reuniting with Fennell after SALTBURN.
The film is now in theatres, more at irishfilmtv.com.
Barry Keoghan has arrived.
The Dublin actor who made us unable to look away in SALTBURN is now going head-to-head with Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry in CRIME 101 — and he`s not just keeping up, he`s stealing scenes.
This isn`t just another role—this is Keoghan proving he belongs among Hollywood`s heaviest hitters, taking his Love/Hate juice straight to LA and reminding everyone that sometimes the hungriest actor in the room is the most dangerous one.
More Barry at irishfilmtv.com.
One man. Eight characters. Pure theatrical magic. ✨
Andrew Scott`s VANYA won Best Play Revival at the WhatsOnStage Awards after its triumphant West End run at the Duke of York`s Theatre and now tops the list of best one-man shows of recent times.
More Andrew at irishfilmtv.com.
HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST drops Feb 12 on Netflix.
DERRY GIRLS star Saoirse Monica Jackson has been talking about the new series and her excitement is absolutely contagious.
Landing on Galentine`s Day feels perfect for this kind of ladies-celebrating-ladies energy.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
